


Find The Words

by the_rainbow_ship



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Age 17-18, Aged-Up Character(s), Fiction within fiction, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24387553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_rainbow_ship/pseuds/the_rainbow_ship
Summary: Will finds a book in the library that is different to all the others. It’s handwritten, hidden away between other books and dedicated to ‘You’.He can’t help but think it’s dedicated to him personally when he finds the main character is gay like him. Maybe someone’s trying to tell him something. Perhaps he isn’t alone.
Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 42
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

Will headed into the quiet room, smiling politely at the librarian who visibly relaxed a little in his presence. Will knew it was because he was quiet and respectful, using the library for it’s actual purpose rather than a place to skip class or worse, make out. 

He headed over to his usual table, relaxing himself when he saw Mike already sat quietly waiting for him. He was currently in the process of writing something in his journal, before suddenly putting it away in favour of turning his attention to Will. 

They didn’t speak, there was no need. This was their time to unwind and quietly use the resources around them. They were seniors in Hawkins High school, after all. They’d take whatever quiet time to study they could. 

Mike grabbed a bottle of water out of his rucksack and set it on the desk beside his own, indicating he’d brought it for Will; the simple action making him grin like an idiot.  
Will loved the silly little actions of consideration Mike showed, usually reserved just for him. His grin only grew wider when Mike produced some biscuits to help keep them energised with the small amount of sugar to keep them productive. 

They worked on separate projects in silence, enjoying the fact that neither expected anything other than to just get their work done so that their free time was just that. Free time. 

It was weird how it had become routine to only be the two of them during their little study sessions. The rest of the party usually doing work for their own elective periods or extra curricular sessions. 

Will was checking the art rack for books that’d help him with his project he’d have to finish at home, not wanting to get paint on the library furniture. He realised Mike had started putting belongings away, causing Will to grab randomly at whatever books were in front of him before taking them to the librarian. 

“Good Afternoon, Mr Byers” she smiled softly, she wrote the date on the little paper slips inside the books before coming to the last of the pile.  
“Oh, it seems this one is your own and it got mixed in” she chuckled, setting it on top of the others in the pile. 

Will’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. A small hardback journal lay on top of the art books, a small ‘Hawkins High School’ logo on the bottom of the little navy book. He swallowed his confusion and returned to Mike, who had now sat down to wait for Will. He stuffed the books into his backpack and zipped it hastily. Mike smiling happily at him. They both nodded, the answer to an an unspoken question.

Time to go get ice cream. 

-

They arrived at the closest little ice cream parlour near the school. It was nearing five o’clock now, so they’d have to be leaving soon. Mike ordered for them both, handing over the money for them before Will could protest. They walked back to the schools parking lot and found Mike’s car, sitting alone and seemingly waiting for them. 

As they drove out of the school property, Will could see Jane and Max at Cheerleading practise, their short skirts so different to their usual jeans and tennis shoes. Will just chuckled, it was the first time he’d ever noticed. 

They chatted through out the car journey before Mike dropped Will off at home, leaning across the drivers seat to give him a hug goodbye. Will always waited by the front door, watching to see Mike drive off before entering the house. 

Will found himself relaxing now, not that being around Mike was difficult, but it was always hard to keep that friendship boundary during the hug goodbye. Will desperately wanted to turn it into a kiss goodbye, but that didn’t matter. He didn’t want to make Mike uncomfortable. 

He headed to his bedroom, shutting the door before heading to sit cross legged on his bed. He emptied the contents of his bag out in front of him, fishing amongst the mess for the little hardback which had been on his mind since the librarian set it down.  
It was mocking him from where it sat now in his hands. Of all the sections in the library it could have been in, it had been lumbered with the art section. Will suspected it might be a sketchbook perhaps, expecting the thick pages to be full to the brim with doodles and pictures perhaps. 

He opened the first page, expecting it to be left blank to stop the charcoal or paint from bleeding through to the cover. Except, neatly on the top of the page in the middle were three words.

‘Dedicated to You’ 

It had been written beautifully with a black ink of what appeared to be a fountain pen. The delicate penmanship only making it more interesting. He ran this thumb carefully beneath the words, he felt as though he found something otherworldly. Not something from the Hawkins High School Library. 

He went to flip the page yet again when his sister Jane knocked on the door, still dressed in her cheerleading outfit. Will hastily shoved the book beneath his pillow as though it was something inappropriate. 

“Dinners ready in five” she smiled, turning her back on him almost immediately. Will sighed.  
His discovery would have to wait til later.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Will was finally able to sit down and read, he couldn’t put it down. Even going as far as to completely tune out the party talking across their old beaten up walkie-talkies. Unfortunately, it didn’t take him too long to finish reading, leaving an ache in his chest for more. 

He lay face down on the bed, thinking about the fiction he’d just consumed. The main character was called George, he was a prince who was quiet and soft in nature. The kingdom didn’t like Prince George very much, saying the king should ensure his elder son, Richard, should marry and have a child quickly so that the line to the throne would skip over Prince George. 

Will felt bad for Prince George, he was described as small and carefree. No interest in courting a Princess from one of the neighbouring kingdoms. 

Prince George had been kidnapped one day, taken from the castle grounds and, as time went by, it seemed unlikely that he would return anytime soon, if at all. Prince George’s Mother, Queen Jayne had sent out a call for a search party to find her youngest son; though many of the towns people didn’t put the slightest effort in to find him.  
That was until a knight turned up and changed everything. 

The knight seemingly had no name, always being referred to as just that, “the knight” within the story. He was a confident, argumentative young fellow who seemed to only be the same age as Prince George. The Knight organised the search party efficiently and got the towns people working hard to find the prince. 

Will felt so relieved when the knight found the prince, freeing him and creating a bond between them. The knight had returned Prince George to the castle, The King and Queen agreeing to give the knight a reward for his bravery and hard work to find the prince. 

“I wish to marry the young prince” the knight had said. The sentence making Will tremble a little, fingers caressing the sentence as though it were comforting. 

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible, it is illegal for two men to marry in our kingdom. I’d have thought you knew that” The King had responded incredulously. Making the knight smirk as he interlocked his fingers with the prince’s own. 

The knight seemed confident, reassuring in a way that had felt familiar to Will. 

“You have the power to change that law, sir” the knight smiled, “You told me I were to be granted a reward, and in all honesty sir, nothing would be as rewarding to me as to have your son as my husband”. 

Will cried, tears dropping down to splatter onto the page of handwritten fiction. The knight had managed to persuade the king and queen to overturn the rule of marriage strictly being between man and woman. The Knight and The Prince were happy together, living a life of their own away from the castle. 

Unable to help himself, he went back to the first page of the book. Where the phrase “dedicated to You” sat proudly. Was this someone at school trying to tell Will that he wasn’t the only one who liked boys?

He needed to tell Mike about this, but he didn’t know how to mention it. He felt a little sick at the idea of keeping something from him, he didn’t _keep_ secrets from Mike. Granted, Mike didn’t know Will was gay.. but it wasn’t a secret, more of.. something that wasn’t a big deal right now. The only guy Will was romantically interested in was Mike himself and he certainly wasn’t ready for that conversation yet. 

\- - -

The next evening found Mike and Will at the movies together. None of the other party members wanted to join them seeing as they didn’t actually have a set plan of what they were going to watch. The duo had decided to watch whatever movie was going to be coming on at 7:30pm, sneaking in through the backdoor like they had grown used to as kids back when Steve worked at Scoops Ahoy. 

Now, both of them were sat in the only two seats left together which were three rows from the front. They didn’t mind, just grateful they were able to sit together.  
Mike had snuck in a few snacks and cans of soda that proudly sat in the cup holders attached to their arm rests. 

It didn’t matter to Will that they were watching a horror film. Luckily, he knew that Mike wouldn’t laugh at him if he got scared. They’d been through enough real life horror together back in the Upside Down that Mike had grown used to protecting Will rather than laughing at him.  
They sat leaning close together, Will fighting the urge to lean his head on his best friends shoulder, or worse, rest a hand on his on the armrest between them. Mike appeared to be having an inner turmoil himself but seemed to hide it better than Will. 

The film frightened Will a little more than he’d expected it to, jumping at the loud noises and nearly flying out of his seat when the person sitting behind him screamed. Mike’s right hand flew to Will’s thigh, thumb stroking reassuring small circles which did nothing to calm his heart rate for entirely different reasons.

Willing himself to relax, he continued to watch the movie. He was enjoying it after all, whether he was scared or not.

A particular part of the movie appeared to have frightened Mike, his hand squeezing Will’s thigh softly as if to ground himself. Will brought a hand to rest over Mikes. 

As the night went on, Will found his mind drifting back to the handwritten story which currently sat in his bag on the floor beside his feet. The relationship between the knight and the prince was so easy. Reminding him a little of himself and Mike. Maybe he was reading too much into it. It’s not as though he’d read a romance about two boys before. 

Mike drove him home after the movie, even going as far to walk Will to his front door even though this wasn’t a new occurrence. Tonight just felt weirdly romantic. Mike smiled to himself as he walked backwards towards his car, keeping his eyes on Will the entire way. Of course, Mike being a dork, walked into the front of his car; the bonnet giving him a fright as it hit the back of his knees. 

Will felt his heart flutter as he waved goodbye, heading back into the house. He headed to bed, a smile on his face as he thought of Mike walking into the bonnet of his car just to keep watching him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to go on a date 🥺 so i made my boys go to the movies together because I want to go. All fanfic writers do that right? 
> 
> \- Dominic


	3. Chapter 3

Will found himself in the school library yet again, it was a lot more convenient to just use his school resources than seek out the towns other library. It was a little weird being here by himself now though, seeing as he'd grown so used to being here with Mike for their little one on one study session. Mike had told him at lunch that he had to go and pick up Holly  
from school as his mother was at the divorce lawyer this afternoon, which was amazing news really so Will didn't mind. 

He headed over to the arts section to get the actual books he needed, seeing as he'd picked up random ones in his haste the other day. He chose them carefully this time, actually looking in the books to make sure they had the information for his assignment. He sat and wrote up his entire assignment, feeling proud of himself for getting the written work done considering that was what he hated the most. He put the books back, being sure to double check the book racks for any hand written literature inside a notebook with his schools logo on. He didn't find one anywhere. 

Deflated, he went to pick up his belongings and leave when the lovely librarian stopped him.  
"Oh, My Byers! I was instructed to give you something" she smiled before handing him a notebook that looked exactly like the one he'd found the other day. Will grinned like an idiot before trying to school his emotions a little. He took the book from her with a quiet thank you as he ran his thumb over the cover.  
"Do you know who it's from?" Will asked, opening the cover to find the very same 'Dedicated to You' written neatly in the middle. He blushed as he realised that yes - it was dedicated to him, not whoever found it but Will Byers himself.  
The librarian shook her head before chuckling.  
"No honey, it was left on my desk with a little note on the top. I'm sorry".

Will took it home with him, excitement lighting up through his veins like electricity as he shut himself in his room yet again. He didn’t know what to expect. Was it going to be a sequel to the Prince and the Knight? Was it going to be a new story altogether?

His fingers danced over the edges of the page, opening it whilst holding a breath for some unknown reason. 

“Oh” Will gasped, this story was completely different. This was a modern story, a very romcom-esc kind of story. Will absorbed every word like a sponge. 

Peter was an uptight lawyer who didn’t know how to have fun, he didn’t like his job and only did it to make his parents happy. He met a free spirited boy by the name of Jacob who worked at the cafe across from the law firm. 

This story was funny and sweet and romantic in an entirely new way. The men were clearly head over heels, Jacob had been serving Peter daily for months - only Peter never looked up from his phone. Will loved how it felt so real, based on a reality that made him speechless. It almost felt like being two men in love was really okay. 

Will set the book on the shelf beside the previous one. He desperately wanted to thank the author but he had no clue who it was. He needed to look for clues, he needed to know who this author was.


	4. Chapter 4

Will was sitting on his bed, listening to a mixed tape Jonathan had made specifically for his ‘bad days’ so that it could cheer him up. He didn’t have his bad days too often luckily, but sometimes his thoughts would send him into a spiral of dark thoughts. 

The party were all currently chatting over their walkie-talkie’s but Will couldn’t find it in himself to reply; instead he sat with his knees to his chest letting music envelop him. Pressing two fingers to his pulse point, Will felt a steady beat of life thrumming through his veins. A gentle rhythm that was his personal song. He knew he was supposed to be getting ready for a game of dungeons and dragons, but with the colour sucked from his world he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

He picked up his walkie-talkie, pressed the well-worn button and spoke quietly.  
“I’m gonna sit this one out, have a fun game” before promptly turning his device off altogether.  
He knew Mike was bound to ring the house phone to check on him, but for now he was going to take a little nap.

\- - - 

When he woke, he tried to remain absolutely still. There was a hand in his hair, curling around a chestnut strand and massaging his scalp. He let out a contented sigh against his will, what a nice way to wake up. 

He looked to his side to see that his head was resting on someone’s lap, Mike’s lap. Will wasn’t sure when Mike got here, but he was kind of grateful he hadn’t woken him or forced him to go play. Mike never would. 

“Hi” Will mumbled, looking up at Mike from his place on his lap. Mike was reading one of the hardback journals, a soft smile on his face as he looked down at Will. 

“How was your nap?” Mike asked quietly, talking as though they did this all the time. His heart skipped a beat at the thought. Will hummed quietly, thinking about sitting up but deciding he’d stay where he was. It was comfortable down here.

“What’re you reading?” Will’s voice was quiet and slightly monotone, telling Mike everything he needed to know from that one sentence.  
“I found it under your pillow, I had a brief look and if it was a diary i’d have put it back immediately, but it felt significant somehow”.  
Mike hadn’t stopped massaging Will’s scalp, he was holding the book in his non-dominant hand; using his other to give the softest affection to Will’s hair. 

“It’s okay” Will mumbled yet again, “I wanted to talk to you about it anyway”. He risked a glance up at Mike once more to find a small smile on his face. He moved to sit up, deciding in that moment that they were going to risk a lot of things today, and laid down with his head tucked into Mike’s neck, arm carelessly thrown over his best friends tummy. 

Mike resumed delicately playing with Will’s hair and he felt at ease again in seconds.  
“I know they’re written by the same person” Will started, talking quietly seeing as he was basically right next to Mike’s ear.  
“I just don’t understand why someone would write stories so beautiful that they could be published novels, and then give them to me”. 

Mike hummed softly, the vibration beneath him ticking a little.  
“How many of them have you received?” he asked gently, not prying so much as merely conversing. “Two” Will replied, nuzzling his nose into Mike’s neck briefly whilst he felt brave and loving the way Mike’s breath caught in his throat. “What are they both about? Are they about the same people?” Will smiled, sitting up altogether to look to his best friend. “Why? Were you getting invested in Jacob and Peter’s relationship?” He winked, before standing and heading to his desk to fetch the first one he’d received. He passed it to Mike with a soft smile before sitting down on the bed, further from Mike now that he wasn’t sleepy. 

“They’re about two different couples, but the couples are always two men” he laughed a little,  
“Obviously the rumour that i’m gay followed us right through high school”.  
Mike blanched, he looked petrified for some reason and Will felt the need to reassure him.

“It’s okay, Mike” he stood and walked back to his bedroom door, listening to make sure his sister wasn’t outside before walking back towards the bed.  
“I’m not as scared of it as I used to be” he smiled, “I’ve not told anyone before, but reading these two stories made me feel so seen and it gave me hope”. 

Mike looked so pale, except for the salmon pink that’d risen to sit on the apples of his cheeks.  
“Will, are you..” 

Will nodded, feeling genuinely calm despite the fact his truth was about to be known.  
“I’m attracted to men, Mike”.  
There was no need to be nervous, Mike was cradling in his arms in seconds and telling tales of how proud he was right now. 

And maybe for the first time in his life, Will felt free. He couldn’t wait to tell whoever the author was how they’d helped him. But for now he’ll happily settle with being in Mike’s arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry it took over a MONTH to post this final chapter!! I kept trying to decide where I wanted to go with it. 
> 
> Also on a personal note, I set up a GoFundMe to fundraise to Transition privately, as I’ve been waiting 3 years already and have gotten nowhere with the NHS. I know I’m lucky to live in a country that even has an NHS but honestly with Covid and everything they’re already incredibly overstretched as it is and my mental health can’t take much more of this wait to be myself. I’ll add the link [here](https://www.gofundme.com/f/zp9kj?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=a1c00b88362b4d8bb4ee9a898926551d) if you want to read more.

Will had been so busy working on his art piece for school that he completely forgot that he was supposed to be grabbing dinner and a movie with Mike. He sighed, this happened far too often for his liking; though Mike never complained, he knew it was getting old very quickly.

He burst out of his bedroom, clumsily raking charcoal smudged fingers through his hair as he rushed to get out the door. His mother threw a knowing smirk his direction over her coffee mug but said nothing. Will grabbed his keys, belatedly from the kitchen counter when he opened the door. All breath leaving him like he’d been winded.

In front of him, sitting on the hood of his car was Mike. He was wearing a navy blue shirt topped with a leather jacket. His hands were buried in his pockets and he looked flawless. Will wished he’d made more of an effort now.. maybe he had time to go back inside and change? 

Except Mike was smiling a full, genuine smile. Will shut the door, walking towards his best friend who hopped off of the hood now. They stood facing each other for a moment before Mike wrapped him up in a tight hug. Will felt like his brain shut down and rebooted before he thought of hugging back, just as Mike was about to pull away. 

Getting into the car, Mike passed Will over a blanket from the backseat. It was getting dark out now, seven thirty in the evening according to the clock in Mike’s car. He snuggled down into the blanket and smiled, a mixtape Will had made was playing as the soundtrack of their evening. That thought meant a lot to him without really understanding why.

They pulled up to a Chinese restaurant and ordered their food to-go, which is the opposite of what Will thought they were going to do. Were they late for their movie? When Mike got back into the car he gingerly passed the bag of food over to Will before he resumed driving.

Mike pulled into a vacant car parking space before setting the car into park. He unbuckled his seat belt and fiddled with his chair, setting it further backwards so he had better leg room. He looked across to Will who looked physically confused, like he didn’t understand what they were doing here. 

“I thought we could watch Ghostbusters together in the drive through theatre” Mike blushed, “this seemed like something both of us could enjoy without being anxious about strangers so close by”.

“Why didn’t the party come? They love Ghostbusters” Will asked, pointedly ignoring how his heart sped up in favour of fishing out their boxes of takeout. He handed Mike his box and some chopsticks just in time for the beginning credits to start, the sound blaring through Mike’s ratty car speaker. 

“I uh.. I wanted to share this with you. We were gonna be crazy together right?” Quoting himself from middleschool.

Will laughed, hard to hide the fact he wanted to cry. That had meant so much to him back then. In fact, just knowing that Mike thought about it at all so many years on made his legs ache for some reason. His body not knowing whether to be pleased or petrified.

Shuffling his chair back, Will stretched out too, throwing the blanket over the both of them as they tucked into their noodles. The film was so much better like this, on a huge screen but with close by speakers, especially with takeout and a cute boy sat beside him. It felt so special and he never wanted it to end.

After they finished eating, Mike moved closer, wrapping his arms around Will and leaning his head on his shoulder. Will felt a little sick with nerves, why was this happening? His fingers ached to glide through Mike’s raven hair. Would he mind?

They had gotten almost all the way through the film, but now they’d changed position. Will was now resting his read on Mike’s chest now that they tilted their seats backwards and all tension had been broken by The Ghostbusters. Mike had his arms wrapped tight around Will like they belonged there and Will couldn’t help but feel as though this was a date. 

Mike was watching him, the phantom feeling of being watched sent a shiver down his spine as he lifted his head to look back. Something changed tonight, and Mike was looking at him with blown pupils and a small smile.

“Are you o-“ Will stuttered as Mike responded with  
“Can I kiss you?”

Will froze. His best friend wanted to kiss him. That couldn’t be right surely? He thought maybe it was a joke, except the look on Mike’s face told him that this was no joke, but something very important. 

Nodding, Will leaned forward the slightest bit. He had no clue what he was doing, he’d never kissed anyone before. But kissing Mike felt like breathing for the first time. His plump lips that Will had spent so much of his time observing were against his own. A laugh bubbled up in his chest. They’d done so many things together since they were five years old, hell, they’d even gotten through the horrors of another dimension and indescribable monsters together, but this is something Will thought impossible. 

Mike sighed happily as he slid a hand to the base of Will’s neck, a shiver shooting down his spine as they lingered before parting. Mike looked weirdly calm, in fact, he looked content and relaxed. Will slid his hand into Mike’s, a silent confession that all was okay and their friendship wasn’t ruined, it was only evolving into something beautiful. 

They relaxed back into each other, Will returning to his place on Mike’s chest with a giddy smile as Mike slid his free arm around Will’s back. 

\- - - 

Arriving home felt bitter sweet. On the one hand, it seemed like a perfect end to the evening. On the other, Will didn’t want Mike to leave. They stood out on the porch, neither of them wanting this to end. Mike had grabbed something from the back seat before he got out of the car to say goodbye, but Will hadn’t taken his eyes off of Mike’s. 

“So I wanted to apologise” Mike said, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet to expel any nervous energy but it didn’t seem to help. “I wrote the stories you received, but I need to tell you, I didn’t write them to get you to come out to me. It was my way of trying to come out to _you_ “

No thoughts. Mind blank. Mike wanted to come out to Will? Will was about to question it when he was handed one final journal. 

“I was so nervous, I wrote a fantasy but then panicked you’d just like it because it was fantasy and handwritten. And so I wrote a modern day romance and panicked that you may have liked boys but didn’t like me so I didn’t write our names” he mumbled, “ And then you told me you liked guys and I needed to write you one more” 

Will opened the page to find the very same “Dedicated to you” he’d found in the previous ones, only this time beneath those words was his name. ‘Will Byers’ was written slowly and delicately, like Mike took extra care on writing it. 

This small novel was titled ‘Stranger Things’ which had made Will laugh. What a peculiar title. Will kissed Mike then, a wordless thank you simply because it was apparently something he could do now. Mike giggled, kissing back with as much affection as he could. He’d worked so hard to find the words to tell Will how much he loved him. Maybe actions really did speak louder than words.


End file.
